Cider-mill



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

R. M. CURTICE, OF NORTH ADAMS, MICHIGAN.

CIDER-MILL.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 26,752, dated January 10, 1860.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, R. M. CURTICE, of North Adams, in the county ofHillsdale and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved CiderMill and Press; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to theannexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figurel is a side sectional View of my invention, taken in the line x, ai,Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a side sectional view of ditto, taken in the line y,y, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of ditto, taken in the line a,e', Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

This invention consists in combining with the ordinary luted cylinderspreviously used for crushing apples, a spheroidal toothed cutter orgrater, placed within a suitable hopper and arranged to operatesubstantially as hereinafter shown, whereby the crushing of the applesin the process of inanufacturing cider is greatly expedited.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct myinvention I will proceed to describe it.

A represents a frame which may be constructed in any proper way tosupport the working parts of the machine.

B is a hopper which is placed on the upper part of the frame; and C is aspheroidal toothed cutter', which is placed on a proper shaft, D, thelatter-'being fitted in suitable bearings on the frame. The cutter, C,may be of cast iron and either solid or in the forni of a shell,according to the size of the machine. The shape of the cutter is plainlyshown in Fig. 2. Tithin the hopper, B, an inclined board, a., 4is placedto guide the apples to the cutter, and the interior of the hopper at itslower end directly in front of the cutter by means of side pieces, ai',a, is made to approximate in form to the convexity of the surface of thecutter, as shown clearly in Fig. 3.

lVithin the frame, A, directly below the cutter, C, two flutedcylinders, E E, are placed transversely. These fluted cylinders are madeto gear into each other, and on one end of the shaft, b, of one of thecylinders, a toothed wheel, F, is placed, said wheel gearing into apinion, c, on the shaft, D, of the cutter C. Into each cylinder, E, aclearer, G, works. These clearers are bars which are nade of suchdimensions that they may lit into the spaces between the projections onthercylinders. These bars extend the whole length of the cylinders andthey are attached to springs, H, which have a tendency to keep theclearers in contact with the cylinders. To the side of the frame, A,opposite the wheel, F, a pawl, I, is attached, said .pawls catching intowheel F.

On the frame, A, and by one end of the cylinders, E E, a rectangularbox, J, is placed. Directly over this box a bar, K, is placed, said barbeing fitted on two upright metal bars, L L, which are notched at one orboth sides a shown at d, in Fig. 1. The lower ends of e bars L, L, arepermanently attached to the frame, A, and said bars pass throughmortises in the bar, K. Cn the upper surface of the bar, K, two catchese, e, are secured. These catches are simply small metal bars connectedat one end to the bar by pivots, g, and having each a spring', 71,bearing against their opposite ends, said springs having a tendency tokeep the bars in the notches, d, of the bars, L L. Cn the bar, K, andynear each bar, L, there is an upright ledge z'. These ledges formfulcrum bearings for levers, M, the inner ends of which catch into thenotches, d, of the bars, L L. By pressing down the outer ends of thelevers, M, the bar, K, will be forced down and retained by the catches,e e. By this arrangement a very simple and elicient press is obtainedfor expressing the juice from the crushed apples. The apples are crushedas follows: Iower is applied to the shaft, Z), and the cutter, C, andcylinders, E E, rotate in the direction indicated by the arrows. Thecutter, C, reduces the apples to a fine state and greatly facilitatesthe crushing operation performed by the cylinders, E E, the cut applesfalling from the hopper, B, between said cylinders. The clearers, G G,eflectually prevent the clogging or choking up of the cylinders, so thatthey will always operate efficiently. By having the cutter, C, ofspheroidal form it operates With less power than the cylindrical operatesubstantially as and for the purpose foII'In and ish less labl) to chokeor clog. h set forth.

avng t us descr ed my invention W at I claim as new, and desire tosecure 105,1 Let- R VM' CURTICE' 5 ters Patent, s- Witnesses:

ARRIEL WILLCOX,

The combination of the spheroidal cutter,

STEPHEN BIRDSALL.

and the fluted cylinders, E E, arranged to

